1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to recessed light fixture reflector assemblies, and particularly to downlight wall wash reflector assemblies which are installable from below the plane of the ceiling and a method of installing such reflector assemblies.
2. Description of Prior Art
Recessed light fixtures are light fixtures which are recessed behind a planar surface, such as a ceiling, wall, or floor. The fixtures are designed such that light exits the fixture through a hole or opening in the planar surface. The fixtures are primarily used in ceilings. Since generally no components of the fixture hang down below the ceiling, use of the fixtures allows lighting designers to illuminate a workspace while maintaining a smooth ceiling line. Thus, illumination is provided while the source of the light is, in effect, concealed.
Since the light source is located completely above the ceiling, efficiency concerns require the light from the source to be collected and focused downward and outward through the opening. Typically, this is accomplished through the use of a reflector assembly located above and around the sides of the light source directing the light downward and outward. However, it is desirable to shield the light source, and reflections of the light source in the reflector assembly, from normal viewing angles in the room. Direct view of the light source, or even a reflection of the light source in the reflector assembly, will create glare and uncomfortable brightness to an observer in the room. Thus, it is generally desirable in a home or workplace environment that the light from a recessed downlight reflector be focused outward at low angles, i.e. approximately 50 degrees or less, as measured from the nadir of the fixture. This angular measurement has been determined to shield an observer looking across the room from glare, while allowing each fixture to illuminate a reasonably sized area.
Utilizing today""s commonly available light sources, including incandescent, fluorescent, low voltage, metal halide, and high intensity discharge (HID), recessed downlight reflectors are generally conical in shape, have round light exit apertures, and produce a generally conical shaped area of illumination. Thus, the illumination of the room can be accomplished by the arrangement of multiple recessed downlight fixtures such that their output light patterns produce the desired result.
The placement of a recessed downlight fixture in proximity to a wall or other vertical surface thus produces a scalloped illumination pattern as the vertical surface intersects the cone of light produced by the downlight reflector. This scalloped illumination effect is often undesirable and occasionally unacceptable. Thus, lighting designers often desire for recessed fixtures located close to walls to project light at both high and low angles toward the walls to evenly illuminate them from the ceiling to the floor, in effect washing the walls with light. However, it is desirable that light directed toward the room from such fixtures remain directed at lower angles to prevent glare. This requires the use of two different reflector designs in the same fixture: 1) the downlight reflector design discussed earlier to direct room side light downward and outward at low angles; and 2) a wall wash reflector to direct light primarily outward to illuminate the wall from the ceiling to the floor. Thus, a recessed downlight wall wash reflector combines both downlight and wall wash reflectors.
Additionally, it is desired that the ceiling opening and the appearance of the downlight wall wash fixture match the appearance of downlight only fixtures located elsewhere in the room.
Further complicating matters, it is often desirable or necessary to be able to install the recessed downlight wall wash reflector assemblies from below the ceiling. For instance, with the advent of new, more efficient compact fluorescent light sources many users wish to replace their older, less efficient incandescent recessed fixtures. However, access to the area above the ceiling is often unavailable with permanent type ceiling construction. Thus, the new reflector assembly must be installable, i.e. able to fit, into the old ceiling opening and frame that was used for the incandescent fixture.
A problem that has arisen, is that efficient wall wash reflector designs cause the downlight/wall washer reflector assembly to have a maximum width larger than the ceiling opening or mounting frame will accommodate.
Further, it is sometimes desirable to equip recessed fixtures having vertical surfaces on more than one side, such as hallways and comers, with wall wash reflectors to wash each vertical surface. The desired result can be achieved by outfitting the fixtures with multiple wall wash reflectors in either a double (parallel) configuration for a hallway, or a perpendicular configuration for a comer. However, this farther complicates matters by increasing the maximum diameter of the reflector assembly to an even greater dimension.
Typically, the increased diameter of wall wash reflector assemblies require special dedicated mounting frames and must be installed through access to the area above the ceiling.
Additionally, and especially with recessed fixtures configured for parallel and comer wall washing, it is desirable that the downlight and wall wash reflector assemblies have adjustable optics so that their illumination patterns may be aimed at the installation site.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved downlight wall wash reflector assembly installable from below a ceiling into a standard mounting frame for a recessed downlight reflector having a matching light exit aperture size.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recessed downlight wall wash reflector assembly having a downlight reflector with a special window cutout behind which a wall wash reflector is positioned to provide wall washing opposite the wall wash reflector and downlighting around the rest of the reflector.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved downlight wall wash reflector assembly having single, double and corner wall wash configurations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an aimable downlight wall wash reflector assembly.
One embodiment of the recessed downlight wall wash reflector assembly of the present invention addresses the problems described by utilizing a resilient wall wash reflector capable of flexing to allow the maximum diameter of the downlight wall wash reflector to be reduced to fit through the ceiling/mounting frame opening.
Another embodiment of the recessed downlight wall wash reflector assembly of the present invention addresses the problems described by utilizing a yoke assembly which is installable through the ceiling and frame opening. Various configurations of downlight/wall wash reflector assemblies can then be installed piece by piece through the ceiling/frame opening and attached to the yoke assembly. Once installed, the components of the reflector assembly can then be rotated in order to aim or adjust the illumination output of the recessed fixture toward the wall, as necessary.